About Last Night
by Xeen Cyr
Summary: "I lost Dorian," Rudy said. "What do you mean you lost Dorian? He's not a set of keys. DRNs don't get lost."


**ABOUT LAST NIGHT**

Dorian is abducted. John & Dorian centric.

-o-

Detective John Kennex was stuck at the precinct doing paper work instead of roaming the streets. It was not his idea of policing. First off, wasn't he supposed to offload clerical tasks onto Dorian? By the way, where was the sassy coffee warmer this morning? Now that he was getting comfortable with Rudy, his timetable had become more and more flexible. Kennex checked his watch for the umpteenth time, stared back at exhibit 00C-Q25874, the same plastic sheet he'd been staring at since he had sat at his desk over an hour ago. No wonder he was bored out of his mind. I'm a detective, not a pen pusher! he fumed.

From the corner of an eye, he watched Valerie Stahl greeting her MX. It handed her a cup of coffee and they exchanged a few words. "Is she genuinely smiling at that thing?" he thought, troubled. Her MX, contrary to bot wonder Dorian, wasn't supposed to have feelings but Kennex would have bet it was quite willing to please the brunette on its own initiative. The detective probably never asked it for any special treatment. The giant Ken doll looked particularly smug this morning. "Wait, is it blushing or what? How is it even possible?" Kennex frowned.

He'd barely talked to Val himself this morning. Well, he was painfully aware he didn't say a word. When she passed him in the hall and grinned with a genial "Hello John, how are you?", it wasn't fortuitous that he was just coming back from another raid to the coffee machine, and currently munching on his third doughnut. Spitting miserably an explosive mouthful onto his shirt, he was able to come up with was a barely articulate "Humph." Nothing to be proud of, nothing even close to the synthetic's witty speech eliciting giggles and pats on the arm from her right now.

Okay, he was pissed. And hell hath no fury like a detective scorned. Eager to give his own synthetic a hard time, he stood up abruptly, lost his footing, and staggered against his desk. He caught himself and stood still, swearing under his breath. He glanced around. Nobody was paying attention anyway. That was it. He'll ride alone today, too bad if it was against every rules and regulations known to the Force. A special treat, one entire day of being alone with his thoughts, peacefully. He grabbed his jacket, aware that he wasn't at all looking forward to the gloomy prospect. Where the hell was Dorian?

He was half running up the stairs to the exit when he caught Rudy coming in. The technician whirled around like a Dervish, spotted Valerie, and proceeded to invade her personal space, twitching and jerking. He was talking rapidly under his breath. That was odd. Rudy rarely set foot upstairs. It would take Dorian being injured for him to show up in the bullpen. He was a brilliant mind but not the most social animal. Kennex slowed down and stopped before the pair. Rudy was agitated, his inability to speak coherently unmistakable. "Hey, Rudy, what's up? You okay?" Valerie gave him THE look and shook her head in puzzlement. His ears went pink. He put his weight on his good leg, tilting his head. "What's going on Rudy?"

"I lost Dorian," the technician said again for his benefit.

"What do you mean you lost Dorian? He's not a set of keys. DRNs don't get lost."

"I didn't lose him per se, however, he's unaccounted for," Rudy whined.

"Dorian is missing? He… er… eloped?"

"Oh god, how would I know?" the technician practically sobbed, rubbing his hands together.

"Okay, calm down, man. Did you check with his MX buddies?" Val rolled her eyes.

"I did," Rudy protested, "and they don't know anything."

"Let's start at the beginning. You come with me. I'll take care of the problem, Val. No sweat."

Stahl didn't even bother to look back at Kennex. She hugged Rudy, in a futile attempt to calm down the lanky technician who was going rapidly into hysterics. She whispered words of comfort, her hands quietly rubbing his back. Still sniffling loudly, he gradually relaxed, and stooped against her shoulder like a ragged doll. Kennex took a deep breath. "So you don't have any idea where my partner is," he finally asked, his patience wearing thin.

Rudy moved aside. "I'm sorry John, I really have no idea," he said, his mouth quivering. "It's not like him to disappear."

"And he disappeared when exactly?"

"We were…. You do know we go out together, don't you?" Kennex nodded. "Well, we were at the pub, the one on Fleet Street?"

"Okay."

"I went to the loo, you know, beer and all that, and when I came back, he was gone. Let's say I didn't acknowledge this fact at the moment, being otherwise occupied with the ladies. When I eventually realized I hadn't seen him around for quite a while, I was unable to locate him."

"You called him?"

"Of course I did. When he wouldn't answer my calls, I went back to the lab. My thinking was that he would have disconnected and be in his charger pod for the night." His face went slack, reflecting a rising stupor. He shook his head in disbelief. "I ran every diagnostics I could think of. I had no luck with long range sensors either. I'm almost certain his chip has been deactivated."

"He took himself off the grid?" Deep down, Kennex already knew that Dorian wouldn't do that. Rudy shrugged his shoulders, tears pooling in his already reddened eyes. God, the guy was a mess. "Rudy, I guess we're going to have a long and productive conversation." Rudy nodded frantically. Even to Kennex, Dorian being AWOL was a disturbing thought. "Listen, we agreed he'd be under your constant supervision. I can't believe you put me through these lectures about chewing gum and whatnot to let him disappear while he was under your care. I swear if anything happened to Dorian..." he sneered. Rudy shrank before his eyes. Kennex took a deep breath. To put the blame on Rudy was counterproductive, he could let his emotions get the best of him. "It's alright, man. I'm not accusing you of anything. We'll find him. Val?"

"I'm on it," Stahl said matter-of-factly. She patted both men on the arm. "We're going to find him, John," she added before rushing to her work station.

-o-

The door slammed against the wall, startling the man in the orange overall slouched before the paraphernalia of wires and circuits. He swivelled on his chair, lifting his goggles on his thinning hair, looking exhausted. "Marcus," he exhaled when his eyes finally adapted to his environment. "I'm almost done."

"Almost? Not good enough, buddy, and certainly not what we agreed on," spat the tattooed giant who had just entered the dingy lab.

"I know," the guy belted. Marcus took a step further. The technician brought his hand in front of his face as to protect himself. "I know," he whispered. "It was more difficult than…"

"Don't need details," stated Marcus who was busy inspecting his surroundings. "Where is he?"

"I sat him in the back room. I wanted him to be more comfortable when… when you wake him up."

"How thoughtful. You're a piece of work, Alan."

"You got to understand that a DRN isn't your average bot. They're different Marcus. And this one is police. I analysed his chip and found a bunch of closed cases."

"Cases in progress?"

"Yes, yes."

"Even better! I wouldn't mind adding some extra profit to this operation."

"I made you a backup copy before wiping him clean, Marcus. Free of charge."

"Good man. I owe you one. Remind me not to kill you next time."

Alan mouth quivered. "I installed the latest Intimate Robot Companion update along with the files I retrieved from Pharrell."

"Pharrell?"

"The sexbot you brought me last month, the one whose limbs were missing?"

"Right. So why aren't you finished yet?"

"This DRN is fully functional. He's got a synthetic soul program installed."

"Why do I care?"

"I can't deactivate it entirely, it's not safe."

"Safe? Explain," said the big man who was now exploring the shelves, fidgeting with fragile robotic parts.

"He would be inoperable. It's a likely possibility, Marcus. But if you want me to uninstall the program, I'll be happy to do it," he added hastily.

"We wouldn't want a useless synthetic, would we," ranted the other, his back turned to the smaller man who shrivelled on his seat. "So what's the catch?"

"DRNs operate on free will and possess the ability to learn. They are smart, strong and almost human, really. This program gives him empathy. He's nothing like the sexbots you're used to."

"Sounds perfect for an escort."

"I'm not sure…"

"I'm not paying you good money to think, Alan. Let's get it over with. Show me to that thing."

Dorian was lying naked on a makeshift camping bed, circuits still exposed on the left part of his head. "This toaster is hung like a horse," Marcus exclaimed, toying with Dorian's genitals. "Excellent!"

"I'll be a minute," Alan mumbled, ignoring the appreciative comment. He flipped the synthetic skin back into place carefully, holding his breath. "Done. Do you want me to do it?"

"Your mess."

Alan touched the base of Dorian's skull with a metal rod. Nothing happened. "Sorry, I must have…"

Dorian woke up with a jolt. "Hello, I'm…" he froze. His eyes rounded in sparkling blue orbs. His face lit up in a frenzy of flickered colours. He glanced around. "Why am I naked?"

"Wake up Blueyes! You're home!" Marcus said in a sing-song voice. "Don't freak out on my account."

"Blueyes?" Dorian muttered before extending his hand tentatively. "I must apologize, you are not in my current data base but I don't seem to be able to update my files. And you are?"

"Your new friend."

Dorian frowned. "Who am I? Where am I?" he said, his voice wavering.

"You told me he was ready," Marcus barked.

"As ready as he ever will be, Marcus. Nothing much I can do other than dismantling him for spare parts and precious metals."

Dorian shivered. Marcus made a quick assessment. The bot was clearly disoriented but seemed alright and it was a fine specimen to boot. Alan was absolutely right, it was far better than his usual stock, like a new dimension in sex trade. Dorian blinked, showing dimples, and Marcus smiled greedily. Yeah, it was the fucking jackpot. It was going to earn him a shitload of bitcoins.

"Find it some clothes, I'll take it," he ordered. "Move! I'm losing money already."

-o-

When Kennex left Maldonado's office, detective Richard Paul fell in step behind him. The sneaky bastard must have been listening to their conversation, he thought. To snoop around that was just his style. And now the bastard was going to rub his nose in it.

"Heard you lost your boy toy, Kennex? I feel for you man, must be hard to be alone at night."

"Don't tempt me Paul."

"The way I see it, it's the perfect opportunity to complete your education with an MX, even finalize domestic arrangements."

Kennex stopped and turned around. "I suggest your shut it. Now."

"Guys, seriously?" Stahl piped in. "John, I had Max checked every security cam footage from the bar, and all traffic cams in the perimeter. Dorian left the bar at…" she checked her pad, "23:17. He stayed idle in the street for another four minutes before getting into a silver sedan. We didn't figure the plates yet but they are probably fake anyway."

"Why would Dorian get into a car with a stranger?" Kennex yelped. Paul grinned.

"Max intercepted a call asking Dorian to go back to the station and that an unmarked car would be waiting for him."

"So basically, you're saying Dorian was abducted."

"That would be my guess," Stahl confirmed. She pressed his arm gently. "Don't worry John, he'll be okay, we'll find him."

Kennex was tired of the leitmotiv. It was wishful thinking and he didn't need to be smooth talked. As far as they knew, Dorian had probably been dismantled already or he'd been sent to the moon or else. "You're going to find parts of him, for sure," Paul rejoiced. "His trimidium circuits alone make him more valuable than…"

Kennex turned around, and punched him in the face. He shook his hand, and winced. "Anything else?"

But Paul was getting back on his feet. He glared at Kennex. "… more likely they put him to work in a brothel behind the Wall already," he sneered. "Good thing you got to him first. He won't be so pretty when you get him back."

This time, Kennex socked him as hard as he could in the jaw. "So you're the kind who would pick a fight until he loses? I should have made sure you lost the first time," he commented. Nobody moved to help Paul back on his feet. The officers simply gathered around him to conceal his condition from Maldonado's piercing sight.

-o-

Three weeks later, realization was finally sinking in. Paul's theory had some merit. Kennex knew because he'd been looking everywhere. There were the usual red flags showing up haphazardly in other cases that involved murder, black market or drug trafficking. But Paul was right. To ship Dorian to the Colonies or try selling him for parts would be dangerous, not to mention generate less profit than wipe him clean and program him for a new purpose.

Kennex glanced at his new synthetic partner. Nobody would think of abducting an MX to turn it into a sexbot! Not that it was common knowledge that despite their fierce looks, they lacked the essential equipment. The City Police Force would become the instant laughing stock of the entire population if they had wind of it. His eyes went back to the road. Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Dorian had vanished into thin air, and they still didn't have a clue. Worse, he didn't have a clue. He'd asked around, retraced their steps at his usual noodle joints, and almost lost his sight watching the footage Val gave him, with no luck.

He'll have to bend the rules a little if he wanted to take the matter into his own hands. God knew how many illicit whorehouses there could be still active behind the Wall, dozen, probably more. But Dorian, wherever he was, wasn't brothel material. Whoever had turned him into a sophisticated dildo would more likely be using him as an escort, he fit the profile. He was about to dial Val when he realized he had every information handy, right beside him.

"Max, could you update me with all illegal activities regarding sex trade behind the Wall? I'm only interested in top notch escort services."

"It is not our jurisdiction, detective."

Kennex sighed. That MX was killing him. How the hell Val managed to put up with those dead fish? "Update your files. Cross reference Kennex and MX and let's see if you can make the right choice."

The android complied. He heard a loud buzz. His blank face turned towards him with what Kennex liked to think of as a pretty good imitation of a frightened look. "Checking sex trade information now…" the MX stated. "I found several occurrences. Shall I send the information to your terminal, detective?"

"You do that. Thank you, Max." So these tin cans did have free will, after all. Good to know.

-o-

Kennex felt weird in non-descript clothes, waiting before the Grand Hotel. It took him some work to find the right outfit. Not that he needed fancy clothing to get behind the Wall, but yet, he must look the part. He checked his phone, read the message again. The meet was supposed to happen two minutes ago. He'd learned that if synthetics were precise, sexbots not so much. He was getting restless. It didn't bode well for what was coming next.

He was running out of time. Even if he was being ultra careful, Maldonado will eventually figure him out. Every night after his shift, he'd strip himself from every piece of police equipment and deactivate his locator to get to the other side. He'd used counter measures, but if someone put their mind to it, it was easy to trace him.

No surprise there, Val had been a great help, as her faithful MX. His only hope was that Rudy would keep his end of the bargain without spilling the beans. The technician was overwhelmed by guilt since Dorian's disappearance. He had spent countless hours writing mind-blowing algorithms so that Kennex could stay off the grid. At dawn, he'd signal him from the Koln Avenue District, catch a cab, and become a real detective again.

Sleep had become a meaningless notion. He lived on designer drugs and caffeine, and intended to pop up pills until he found Dorian, or what happened to him, he thought grimly. To find his partner was his only concern and put all investigations on the back burner. His service records were dwindling. He had lost count of his incursions into the forbidden zone. Every night, he'd met with androids of various sizes and subgenders, sometimes taking advantage of the situation. Hell, he was paying them good money, to give his undercover alias some credibility, so why not? The flesh was weak, and according to his missing partner, he needed some action. He'd made deals with notorious pimps, bioengineered crime lords, and exotic male prostitutes, but for the life of him, he still couldn't place Dorian.

Paul's theory had some merit, but maybe he'd been wrong all along. Kennex exhaled loudly and adjusted his mask, checking out pollution levels. So far so good but the constant drizzle was getting on his nerves. He shifted from one foot to the other, his synthetic leg protesting against his lack of care. "Did I charge it?" he thought, out of the blue. Well it would have to do. He would limp his way back to the Wall if need be.

"Hello John," said a familiar voice behind his back.

Kennex felt his heart rate increase, his blood pressure rise. He stopped breathing and turned around. "Pharrell, I presume?" he asked curtly.

Dorian nodded, showing no sign of recognition. He just smiled, baring his teeth. "Indeed, I am. I'm glad to make your acquaintance. Shall we?" he said with a seductive grin, stroking Kennex's arm.

"We shall, but not here."

Dorian didn't flinch and got closer instead. He raised his head, his mouth leaving an electrifying trail along the rim of his mask. "I can't wait," he breathed, planting a kiss on the detective mouth over the protective mesh.

Kennex blinked, pushing him gently away. "We're not far." The android followed, entwining his fingers with the detective's, his body brushing against his hip with each step. "We're going to my place. It's on the other side. Is it okay?" Kennex finally said.

"Oh course it is, handsome. Patrol MXs don't care whether bots go to the free zone. It's not going to be cheap though," Dorian grinned. "But I'm worth every penny."

"I know you are," said Kennex, tightening his grip. What if he was made before they could get to China Town? He shook his head. No, it was a simple business transaction. They couldn't afford a constant surveillance on the DNR, how valuable he was. He hailed a bot-tuk and punched the jammer on.

"Someone's in a hurry," Dorian chuckled.

"You have no idea."

-o-

Kennex pushed Dorian inside. He checked the security systems, blinding the windows. The android watched his every move, his face emotionless. "Should I be alarmed, John?" he asked when Kennex finally dropped on the couch. Dorian kneeled between his legs and put his hands on his thighs. "Are you okay, man?"

Kennex closed his eyes, catching his breath. "Yes, yes, I'm okay now. I'm glad we're here." He rubbed his forehead. What was he doing? Why did he lock himself inside his apartment with Dorian instead of delivering him under Rudy competent care? Cave man instinct, he pondered. "How are you feeling?" he asked, retrieving his phone from the coffee table. "I have to make a call, real quick."

"I'm feeling great, John," Dorian swiftly put the phone away. "Are you feeling great too?" he asked, his hands making their way up to John's crotch.

Kennex stood up abruptly. "Charge 3%. Charge 3%," the synthetic leg announced with a noticeable squeak.

"Oh, you're a cyborg," Dorian marvelled, stroking the prosthetic leg.

"Give me back that phone, I'm not kidding!"

"I was wondering because of the creak, and your gait being slightly unbalanced. Let me help you, John, I'll be gentle, I promise. It is a rare treat."

Kennex found himself seated back on the couch, with Dorian pulling at his pants. "Don't you dare!"

"Quiet," Dorian said, placing a finger on his mouth. What was the harm in letting his partner take care of the damn leg? After all, there was a first for everything. He closed his eyes again, listening to him rummaging through his kitchen closets. He'll call Rudy and go to the lab as soon as Dorian was finished with the damn leg. He felt so tired he could have slept an entire week. "Got it," Dorian exclaimed. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Mmmm."

"John, your leg is so sexy," Dorian purred, massaging gently the knee and the junction between the synthetic leg and the stump with olive oil.

"Feels good," John mumbled. He crossed his arms on his chest. "Keep going." He dozed off. When he woke up, he was in his bed. He stretched, squeezing lightly the arm laid on his chest. What the fuck! With his leg missing, he had trouble sitting and untangling himself from Dorian. "What do you think you're doing?" he shouted.

"Someone's grumpy this morning." Dorian got on his knees with grace.

"Lights," Kennex bellowed, grasping the crumpled sheet to cover his morning erection. "What do you think you're doing?" he said again.

"I'm looking at you, John. A room with a view, can it get any better?"

"Why am I in my bed?"

"It's kind of obvious, man, you slept like a baby."

"I mean why are you in my bed?"

"You asked me to stay," Dorian answered matter-of-factly. He pushed the sheet aside and leaned forward, pinning Kennex's wrists to the head board with quiet ease. "Do you want me John?" he asked, his smile tantalizing, leaving a wet trail on the exposed neck with his darting tongue before nibbling at his ear. Kennex thrashed about, panting. "It's okay, I want you too," Dorian smiled, releasing him.

"You're not a sexbot. Your name is not Pharrell."

"You want to play? I like it, John. Who am I John? Tell me… You like him, don't you?"

"Your name is Dorian. And it's not like that, you're my partner. Stay away from me, dammit!"

Dorian moved closer. "You like him. I can see. It's okay John," he whispered soothingly. "Let me be Dorian for you."

"Listen, man, you're Dorian, really. Listen to me for chrissake. Don't, no, don't do that," he moaned.

"We'll talk later. Now I am going to kiss you John."

-o-

"Max was very pleased you got Dorian back."

"Really?" Kennex sipped on his coffee, unable to form a coherent thought.

"Of course," said Stahl in a teasing voice. "He's not that fond of DRNs but I think he likes you," she giggled.

"Kennex, the bot magnet," Paul scoffed from his desk.

"Shouldn't you be interrogating the cons Richard?" Val snapped without turning around. "John kind of handed them to you on a silver platter."

"I remember kicking on the jammer," Kennex continued.

"And what about your locator? You stayed off com for fourteen hours straight, John!" Rudy chimed in. "I thought they got to you." Somehow, Rudy managed to make the pronoun sound ominous. "I was pretty close to telling Maldonado about our plan, I mean your plan."

"I just told her myself but she'd figured I will go off book anyway and chose to look the other way. Listen, Rudy, I'm really sorry about last night. My priority was to get him out of the forbidden zone. I should have called you. I was…"

"You were exhausted," Val agreed.

"Yeah," Kennex nodded, "I guess I just crashed."

"What about the procedure?" asked Rudy, getting more flustered by the minute. "Dorian he's not a robot in your average teen holoseries," Rudy continued. "He's far more sophisticated than you can probably imagine. Dorian can do things the latest MX models would never dream of. Not that they can actually dream, mind you. For instance, DRNs can operate on less than 1% of their standard energy levels and still retain their stamina intact? Dorian used his very last drop of power to walk to the lab by himself, it is quite flabbergasting!"

"Hold that thought, Rudy! And now go back to the lab, and put him back together." Rudy rolled his eyes. "Don't forget I fried him, just like you said."

"Fried him?" Rudy squealed. "What do you mean, you fried him? You didn't use some sort of electromagnetic pulse, did you?" he gulped, already biting his nails.

"Come on, Rudy, calm down." Kennex gave him a little nudge. "I did exactly as instructed with the… metallic thingy, you know?"

"I'm sure John didn't mess with him, Rudy," Val chuckled. "He's not a great fan of technology but he knows far more than he lets on. And he likes Dorian, he wouldn't harm him," she said, eliciting from Paul more snarky remarks. Kennex smiled uneasily, hiding behind the rim of his cup. "It's over, you can relax."

But Rudy was on a roll. "What about the malware? I need that backdoor, John!"

"Yeah, I took care of the worm too. Look, when I told him he was a cop, Dorian was anxious to be back to his normal self. I thought it was no big deal to indulge him. You of all people are aware that there is no way I can get a bot to the station against his will."

"I wish you would have waited for me, John. Dorian cannot be fixed with paper clips and chewing gum," Rudy insisted, "To insert foreign bodies inside a DRN is a bad idea!"

"He takes bullets all the time," Kennex shrugged, his cheeks burning. "Ok, listen. I promise I won't insert anything inside Dorian again," he said, leaning over his desk, pretending to study a file, "unless he asks me."


End file.
